Hi guys!  It’s Morgan from Live, Love, Eat and Play.

First of all, thanks to Allison for letting me do a guest post .  I have been a Green Dog Wine reader for quite some time, ever since I first heard about spicy oats!  Anyone who likes Frank’s that much, is definitely worth reading in my opinion!

I think everyone can agree that as it gets colder, comfort food is so much more appealing, but it can be hard to keep it comforting, and healthy!  As the temperatures drop in northwestern PA, I am craving more and more comfort food, and looking for ways to keep it waistline friendly.  I discovered this Rachael Ray recipe last year, and it has become a staple in our house in the fall and winter.  It’s warm and comforting, with a nice spicy kick!  You can use whatever veggies you have on hand!

Spicy Salsa Soup

A rainbow of chopped veggies is beautiful!

Heat a medium soup pan over medium high heat and add the olive oil, jalapenos, peppers, onion, celery and garlic.  Since this was a 30-minute meal, Rachael suggests letting the veggies sauté for 5 minutes, but I let them go about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let the veggies get soft, with a little bit of a bite to them

Season the veggies with salt and pepper and add both cans of tomatoes, and stock.  Here’s what I use to keep it vegetarian:

Bring the soup to a bubble, then reduce to a simmer.

A few minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, stir in the cilantro.  I also add in a few dashes of hot sauce, since we like our food spicy at the Live, Love, Eat and Play household!
We decided to do a twist on tomato soup and grilled cheese and serve this soup with quesadillas.  These are simply whole wheat tortillas, a little bit of shredded Mexican cheese and Frank’s.  We dipped them right into the soup!  Yum!

To cool it down a bit, I like to put a little Greek yogurt on top (I just don’t like sour cream!)

Served with a nice glass of Malbec, you have the perfect chilly weather comfort meal!